Apple on Wednesday invited members of the media to its annual media-centric keynote, where it is expected to introduce new iPods and an updated Apple TV, set for Sept. 1 in San Francisco, Calif.

The event will be held next Wednesday and will start at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, 1 p.m. Eastern, and will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Alluding to the music-themed nature of the event, the invitation includes an acoustic guitar with a sound hole in the shape of an Apple logo.

The announcement dispels an earlier report that the event would be held on Sept. 7.

In recent days, a firestorm of rumors and speculation have centered around a supposed new Apple TV, perhaps dubbed iTV, starting at $99. Both Bloomberg and The New York Times have cited anonymous sources as stating that Apple is currently negotiating with content providers to offer 99 cent TV episode rentals.

However, Apple reportedly does not intend to make the new Apple TV the centerpiece of its announcement, as sources said Chief Executive Steve Jobs doesn't expect the device to be an instant mainstream hit. Instead, Apple is allegedly looking to improve its product, which it has long referred to as a "hobby," by transitioning it to the iOS operating system and giving it access to the App Store for content and games.

Apple is also expected to reveal a new iPod touch with a forward facing camera that will allow FaceTime video chat, as is currently available on the iPhone 4. There have been numerous leaked parts alleged to be from Apple's forthcoming portable media player that show a space in the device's front panel for a camera.

While the iPod touch lacks a phone number to allow people to connect for a FaceTime call, beta releases of iOS 4.1 show that the media player will identify users by their e-mail address. Jobs said earlier this summer that his company will ship tens of millions of devices compatible with FaceTime this year alone. Currently, only the iPhone 4 is capable of making FaceTime video chat calls over Wi-Fi.

I wonder what are the chances that the Back to School deal will cover the new iPod Touch. The opposite circumstance is that Apple immediately discontinues the 32GB third gen iPod Touch that is the minimum I want with the Back to School deal. I'm not sure if I should wait to find out either way.

I wonder what are the chances that the Back to School deal will cover the new iPod Touch. The opposite circumstance is that Apple immediately discontinues the 32GB third gen iPod Touch that is the minimum I want with the Back to School deal. I'm not sure if I should wait to find out either way.

The chances of the back to school deal including the new iPod touch are precisely zero. The new one probably won't ship for at least a week after the event.

I hope they release a more expensive version of the new Apple TV with a decent amount of storage as well as the $99 one, for those of us that already have loads of movies within iTunes and don't want to leave their computers on for the unit to stream from constantly.

YES PLEASE. I would adore multitasking on my iPad soon. Oh, and Garage Band/ iLife would be fantastic also. Maybe Jam Packs will come included?... Wow I just realized that paying for college is harder when also paying for Apple products. Time to find a job! (at an Apple store hopefully)

The guitar in invitation reminds me the rumor about a new app in iLife.
As, new iPods and iTVs receiving all the attention, Apple wants the blogosphere to get into another round of rumor round-up, this time including scoops about this new app.

The guitar in invitation reminds me the rumor about a new app in iLife.
As, new iPods and iTVs receiving all the attention, Apple wants the blogosphere to get into another round of rumor round-up, this time including scoops about this new app.

The Gibson guitar, to me, seems like GarageBand is coming to the iPhone, iPod or iPad (OS 4.0 with multitasking).

Itv announcement
new ipod touches at 128gb sizes with retina display and face time
minor updates to ipod touch and ipod classic
new ipod shuffle with 3x3 touchscreen (you think i forgot all about that)

out of them, i'll probably get an ipod shuffle, as atm i have a first gen, and the itv. I hope it includes a blu ray and does more than just music and videos off a hard drive.

I presume the guitar is because it's a music event, and also the garage band icon suggesting iLife '11 and possibly iWork '11
Come to think of it, it may be iWork for iOS (pad/pod/phone) update and GarageBand for iPad, requiring OS 4.1 which will be released

iTv announcement
New iPod touches at 128GB sizes with retina display and face time
Minor updates to iPod touch and iPod classic
New ipod shuffle with 3x3 touchscreen (you think I forgot all about that)

Out of them, I'll probably get an iPod shuffle, as ATM I have a first gen, and the iTV. I hope it includes a blu Ray and does more than just music and videos off a hard drive.

Although I don't expect BluRay... I would sincerely Love to have a version of iTV that could access the internet, access the AppStore & have more storage... something to take on the announced Google TV.

YES PLEASE. I would adore multitasking on my iPad soon. Oh, and Garage Band/ iLife would be fantastic also. Maybe Jam Packs will come included?... Wow I just realized that paying for college is harder when also paying for Apple products. Time to find a job! (at an Apple store hopefully)

Good luck with your job at the apple store. I just hope you don't end up like those people who loved chocolate so much, that twey decided to get a job in a chocolate factory, and after a couple of months surrounded by all this sweet stuff, they couldn't even look at chocolate any more. But anyway I have to agree with you, applications like in iLife would certainly make sense on an iPad. Would buy it instantly without hesitation. With iWorks they did such a fantastic job.... Well it would be great.